Steel-heating furnace



J. HUNDLEY STEEL HEATING FURNACE Jully 24, 11923. I 11,462,639

Original Filed Jul y 23. 1919 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Jully 24, 1923 1,462,639 J. HUNDL-EY STEEL HEATING FURNACE- Original Filed July 25, 1919 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented July 24, 1923.

UNETED STATES PATENT JAMES HUNDLEY, OF NOBLESVILLE, INDIANA, ASSIGNOR TO NEW PROCESS IRON AND STEEL COMPANY, OF NOBLESVILLE, INDIANA.

' STEEL-HEATING FURNACE.

Application filed July 23, 1919, Serial No, 312,749. Renewed February 25, 1922. Serial No. 539,293.

To all whom it may concern.

Be it known that I, JAMES HUNDLEY, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of the city of Noblesville, county of Hamilton and State of Indiana, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Steel-Heating Furnaces, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relatesto improvements in steel heating furnaces in general, and more particularly to that type of furnace designed for heating iron or steel or similar refractory substances, and relates more specifically to that type of furnace illustrated in the attached drawings in which the material to be heated is carried through the furnace by a movable conveyor during the heating process.

The principal object of my invention is to provide a furnace having a movable or travelling bed or conveyor. A further object is to provide a furnace having a movable bed or conveyor on which the steel, scrap iron or other material to be heated is placed. and by which said material is carried through the heating chamber of said furnace. A further object is to provide a furnace through'which the material to be heated is carried by an endless conveyor and from which said material is carried by a second endless conveyor, while any refuse or solid by-products of said heating process, are removed from said furnace by an additional conveyor. A further object is to provide a furnace in which the transporting of the material to be heated, the removal of said material from said furnace, and the re moval of all slag, cinder, and similar byproducts from said furnace are automatically performed after said material is placed upon said first mentioned conveyor.

With these and other objects in view my invention relates essentially to the general construction illustrated inv the accompanyr ing drawings which show a preferred form of the device, it being understood that any modification thereof may be made which shall legitimately come within the scope of the appended claims.

With more particular reference to the drawings in which like numerals designate like parts throughout, Fig.1 is a sectional elevation on line 11 of Fig. 4. Fig. 2 is a sectional elevation on line 22 of F ig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a sectional elevation on line 3-3 of Fig. 1. Fig. 4. is a sectional plan view on line 41-& of Fig. 1. Fig. 5 is a detailed plan view of one of the conveyor bars or sections, Fig. 6 being a fragmentary elevation on line 6-6 of Fig. 1 and Fig. 'Tis a detailed end view of Fig. 6.

In the drawings the numeral 8 designates the combustion chamber having grate bars 9 and a fuel door 10 and ash door 11 all of which may be of any conventional type. Rearwardly of the combustion chamber 8 is a baflie wall 12 and also are heat directing baflies 14 normally suspended from the top 13, a fine or stack 15 being provided at the rear end of the furnace. An endless conveyor 18 passes through the heating or furnace chamber 17, one extremity of said conveyor preferably extending rearwardly, as at 24, through openings 21 in the rear wall 16 of said furnace, said conveyor being supported and driven by sheaves 19 carried on axles 20, the direction of rotation or travel being indicated by arrow A. Conveyor 18 is preferably composed of a plurality of transverse elements or sections 22 hingedly connected as at 23. Between conveyor 18 and baffle 12 a space 25 is provided for the discharge of the heated material from said conveyor, below which is a transversely operating conveyor 26 carried on sheaves 27 supported by walls 12 and 28, said conveyor passing outwardly through openings 40 in one of the side walls of said furnace.

Beneath the conveyor 18 is an additional endless conveyor 30 travelling on and driven by sheaves 32 supported on axles 33said conveyor being composed of transverse elements or sections 31 hingedly connected as at 34: said conveyor travelling as indicated by arrow B, a battle shield 29 being provided if desired. Beneath the outer extremity of conveyor 30 may be placed a lorry or car 35 travelling on rails 36. Conveyors 18, 26, and 30 may be driven from any suitable source of power (not shown) as by sprocket wheels 37 and 39 and also suitable brushes 38 or other cleaning means may be employed to remove adhering slag or other elements from contact with said conveyor elements 22 and 31.

Conveyor elements 22 and 31 preferably consist of transverse metallic sections or frames 44: with dove-tailed sides as shown in which are positioned bricks or blocks of refractory composition and these elements may be inclined toward the center of the furnace as at 41 and may have a longitudinal groove or trough 4:2 and may also have lateral tongues or projections as at 4:5 co-acting with corresponding recesses 46 within said bricks if so desired.

In operation the material to be heated is placed upon conveyor 18 rearwardly of the furnace and is carried by said conveyor through the heating chamber 17 and is discharged from said conveyor, after heating, upon the transverse conveyor 26 which carries said material without the furnace where it may be acted-upon in any desired manner as by a hammer or rolls or carried to a reheating furnace as desired. Any slag or other material which may become fused will be carried by trough 42 to the outer portion 24: of said conveyor through the trough 4&2 Where it is discharged into the lorry 35. The conveyor 30 will catch and carry to said lorry any ash or other dbris that may be carried forwardly over said conveyor 18, brushes being provided to facilitate removal of said dbris from said conveyor if neces sary. It is understood that the outer or rearward portion of said conveyors may be placed angularly lower than the forward end if desired and it is also understood that said conveyors may move continuously or intermittently as may be necessary through said furnace.

It is also to be understood that any desired means may be employed for keeping the various supporting members of the conveyors as the sheaves 19, 27, and 32 and the aXlesQO and 33 cool within said furnace, one form of which is illustrated in Figs. 5 and 6 in which the axle 20 is shown chambered or recessed as at 4:7, the sheaves 19 being hollow as at 48, and communicating with chambers 47 as by passages 50, plugs or stops 49 being employed to prevent continuous passage through the chamber 47. Water or other cooling fluid may be forced into one end of said opening 47 and will circulate through passages 50 and chambers 48 and pass out at the opposite extremity of said shaft maintaining the construction in nominally cool condition.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to protect by these Letters Patent is 1. In a steel heating furnace in combination with a combustion chamber and heating chamber, an endless conveyor to transport materials through said heating chamber, means for depositing said heated material upon a second conveyor to carry said material from said furnace, an additional endless conveyor below said first mentioned conveyor for removal of slag or debris from said furnace, a lorry to receive said slag or debris and means for operating said conveyors as and for the purpose described.

In a heating furnace an endless conveyor composed of sections hingedly connected, bricks or blocks of refractory composition mounted upon said sections means for actuating said conveyor and for heating material placed thereon, means for automatically depositing said heated material upon a second endless conveyor to carry said material from said furnace and means for automatically removing slag and other debris from said furnace, and means for cooling the conveyor parts.

3. In a heating furnace an endless conveyor COllSlStiIlg of hingedly connected elements, refractory blocks or bricks carried by said elements, a heating chamber surrounding a portion of said conveyor, means for operating said conveyor and for discharging material therefrom upon a second conveyor within said furnace, an additional conveyor to remove slag and other cinder from said furnace, brushes or other means for rem-oving adhering slag or cinder from said conu veyor elements and means for actuating said conveyors, substantially as and for the purpose described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto signed my name. in the presence of a subscribing witness.

JAiinas HUNDLEY.

Witness LETA L. DENNY. 

